Knuckles' Chaotix
|genre = Platform, action |modes = Single-player, cooperative |platforms = 32X }} Knuckles' Chaotix }} is a 1995 platform game by Sega for the 32X. A spinoff from the ''Sonic the Hedgehog series, it features Knuckles the Echidna and four other characters known as the Chaotix, who must prevent Doctor Robotnik and Metal Sonic from obtaining six magic rings and conquering a mysterious island. Gameplay is similar to previous Sonic games: players complete levels while collecting rings and defeating enemies. Knuckles' Chaotix introduces a partner system whereby the player is connected to another character via a tether; the tether behaves like a rubber band and must be used to maneuver the characters. While Sonic Team is sometimes credited with creating Knuckles' Chaotix, it was developed by another Sega team. Production began with Sonic Crackers, a 1994 prototype for the Sega Genesis which experimented with the tethering system and featured Sonic and Tails. Development transitioned to the 32X under the working title Knuckles' Ringstar; Sonic and Tails were replaced by Knuckles and the Chaotix. One of the Chaotix members was Mighty the Armadillo, who first appeared in the arcade game SegaSonic the Hedgehog (1993). Knuckles' Chaotix was released in North America and Japan in April 1995, and in Europe in June 1995. It received mixed reviews and failed commercially. Reviewers found the tethering physics cumbersome, although some appreciated it as an attempt to innovate. The level design and low difficulty level were also criticized. Journalists have described Knuckles' Chaotix as the last of the "classic" 2D Sonic games before the series moved to 3D. Some characters and concepts introduced in the game feature in later Sonic games and media. Despite interest from fans, it has not been rereleased beyond a brief period through GameTap in the mid-2000s. Gameplay Knuckles' Chaotix is a side-scrolling platform game similar to earlier entries in the ''Sonic'' series. Unlike other Sonic games, players are tethered to a computer or human-controlled partner; the tether behaves like a rubber band and must be properly handled to maneuver through stages. There are five playable characters, each with their own unique abilities. Knuckles the Echidna can glide and climb walls; Mighty the Armadillo can perform a wall jump; Espio the Chameleon can run along walls and ceilings; Vector the Crocodile can boost through the air and climb walls; and Charmy Bee can fly and hover. There are two other partner characters, Heavy the Robot and Bomb, who hinder players' progress due to their slow or destructive nature, respectively. The story takes place on a mysterious island and follows the group's efforts to stop Doctor Robotnik and Metal Sonic from harnessing the power of the island's mythical Chaos Rings to satisfy their evil deeds. The game takes place over six levels called attractions. Each attraction is divided into five acts; the fifth ends in a boss fight with Robotnik and one of his large robots. Each act has a different time of day decor, such as morning, noon, evening, and night. Like earlier Sonic games, players collect rings, jump to perform a spin attack to defeat enemies, and can perform a spin dash on the ground to gain speed. Power-ups include rings, shields, and speed shoes. The partner system enables players to perform actions not seen in earlier Sonic games. Players can call their partner if they are separated, which reunites them with the main character but costs 10 rings, or throw their partner to reach far platforms. If the partner is computer-controlled, the player can stop and anchor the partner to perform special moves such as "snapping" to a higher ledge or thrusting to gain speed. Before entering a stage, the player begins in a hub world where they choose a partner and level. Bonus stages are hidden throughout attractions, and can also be triggered by finishing a level with 20 or more rings. In the bonus levels, the player is free-falling and picks up power-ups. Special stages are reached by finishing a level with 50 or more rings. In these stages, the player collects blue spheres in a forward-scrolling platformer to earn a Chaos Ring. Collecting all Chaos Rings unlocks the "good" ending, in which Sonic and Tails are seen with the Chaotix, who have freed the island from Robotnik. Development and release Development of Knuckles' Chaotix began in early 1994 as an engine test for the Sega Genesis dubbed Sonic Crackers. .}} Although Sonic Team is sometimes credited for developing the game, it was developed by another internal Sega development team including young members of the staff who had worked on Sonic CD (1993). Developed as an idea for the next Sonic game, the prototype featured Sonic and Tails joined together by an elastic band of energy. Fahs, Travis. "Sonic X-Treme Revisited". IGN UK. May 29, 2008. 1 Retrieved on February 13, 2010. "There was the experimental multiplayer Sonic Crackers, eventually to become Knuckles Chaotix." Development eventually moved to the more powerful 32X add-on for the Genesis. Sonic and Tails were replaced by a group of characters led by Knuckles the Echidna, but the core tethering gameplay was retained. The project was titled Knuckles' Ringstar, and later Knuckles' Chaotix. The Sonic Crackers prototype ROM image was later leaked online and can be played with emulators. Along with Knuckles being given a starring role, the game includes Mighty the Armadillo, who had previously appeared in the arcade exclusive SegaSonic the Hedgehog (1993). Vector the Crocodile also makes his debut; he was originally created to appear in Sonic the Hedgehog (1991) but his appearance was scrapped before its release. The game also features two other new characters: Espio the Chameleon and Charmy Bee, the latter of whom originally appeared in the Sonic the Hedgehog manga. These four characters have been dubbed "The Chaotix" in retrospect. Tails was also intended to appear as a playable character, but was scrapped. A leaked prototype version of the game lists Espio's name as the featured character on the title screen instead of Knuckles, suggesting he was once featured more prominently, possibly in a starring role. The 32X's processing power allowed for dynamic sprite-scaling effects, and 3D polygons in the special stages. A complex palette system was implemented, allowing each level to load its own unique colors. The music was composed by Junko Siratsu and Mariko Nanba. Knuckles' Chaotix was released in North America in April 1995, in Japan on April 21, 1995, and in Europe in June 1995. It is considered a valuable collector's item due to the 32X's commercial failure. The game's only rerelease was in 2005, when it was made available for macOS and Microsoft Windows via the subscription service GameTap. Reception | Allgame = | EGM = 7.4/10 | Fam = 25/40New Games Cross Review: カオティクス. Weekly Famicom Tsūshin. No.332. Pg.31. April 28, 1995. | GameFan = 98/100 | rev2 = Game Players | rev2Score = 41% | GamePro = | IGN = 6/10 | rev3 = Mean Machines Sega | rev3Score = 84/100 | NGen = }} Knuckles' Chaotix received mixed reviews, and failed commercially, as did the 32X. The game's presentation divided critics. The four reviewers of Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM) praised its graphics and believed the game was one of the best for the 32X, and GameFan considered Knuckles' Chaotix the best entry in the franchise since Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (1992). On the other hand, a reviewer from Next Generation found the graphics garish, and felt that the game made "unimpressive attempts to show off". GamePro, Game Players, and IGN believed the game failed to push the 32X to its limits, citing the lack of graphical effects and Genesis-quality audio, though IGN felt some elements, such as several musical tracks, were highlights. In 2008, GamesRadar wrote that Knuckles' Chaotix was the best game for the 32X and was underrated, though it still considered the game a "wasted opportunity". The "rubber band" multiplayer system was largely panned, despite being acknowledged as an effort to innovate. Though IGN admired the attempt to "breathe life into a series that was running out of steam" and fix the lopsided multiplayer of Sonic 2 and Sonic 3 (1994), whereby Tails would get lost off-screen, they felt the physics were "clunky" and unorthodox.Fahs, Travis. "Knuckles Chaotix Review" IGN. Ziff Davis. March 26, 2008. Retrieved on June 9, 2011. EGM felt the system was original, but slowed down the gameplay, as did GamesRadar. Next Generation felt the bond was tiring and not truly innovative, and GamePro called it Knuckles' Chaotix s biggest flaw, finding it frustrating and choppy. The reviewer also found that the bond complicated gameplay and compared it to being handcuffed. The level design and low difficulty were also criticized. GamePro wrote that the levels, while fairly large, were not populated with enough enemies or secrets, a sentiment echoed by IGN and Mean Machines Sega. IGN considered the boss design simplistic and the level design bland and seemingly unfinished, and Mean Machines Sega thought that, without enemies, "this is just not half the game it could have been". Game Players criticized the game's lack of replay value, saying the game's simplicity made secrets in levels impossible to miss. However, IGN, GameFan, and EGM praised the number of playable characters, and IGN felt the game's "marvelous" fully 3D special stages were the best of the Sonic series. Overall, IGN described Knuckles' Chaotix as "a bad game with a good foundation", and in another article, concluded that the game was interesting, if flawed. EGM felt the game was the best for the 32X but failed to live up to previous games in the Sonic series. Game Players found the game a major disappointment, saying "other than a few color-enhanced backgrounds, you're gonna wonder why this isn't a Genesis title". Some journalists have referred to Knuckles' Chaotix as the series' declining point, and AllGame and Complex both wrote that it was among the worst games in the series. Legacy Knuckles' Chaotix is considered the last of the "classic" Sonic games before the 3D game Sonic Adventure (1998) took the series in new gameplay directions. Several of its concepts were re-used in later Sonic games. A similar partner system features in the Game Boy Advance game Sonic Advance 3 (2004), and IGN noted similarities between the game's auto-running special stages and Sonic and the Secret Rings (2007). Two tracks from Knuckles' Chaotix, "Tube Panic" and "Door Into Summer", appear in Sonic Generations (2011). The "Hyper Ring" power-up re-appeared in Sonic Mania (2017) and a recreation of Knuckles' Chaotix s final boss fight was added in a 2018 update. With the exception of Mighty, who has made only cameos, all Chaotix members have become recurring characters in the Sonic series. Shadow the Hedgehog (2005), Sonic Rivals 2 (2007), the Nintendo DS version of Sonic Colors (2010), Sonic Generations, and Sonic Forces (2017); Espio is a playable character in the arcade game Sonic the Fighters (1996) and Vector is playable in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (2007) and its sequels. }} The group had storylines in the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series produced by Archie Comics and Sonic the Comic by Fleetway Publications, as well as in the anime series Sonic X. GamesRadar considered the introduction of the Chaotix a turning point for the series, as it "diluted the Sonic-verse by introducing tons of shitty characters". In 2011, Sega noted fans frequently requested Knuckles' Chaotix as a game desired to be rereleased. 1UP.com and GameSpy expressed disappointment the 2005 compilation Sonic Gems Collection did not include the game. In 2010, the head of Sonic Team, Takashi Iizuka, expressed interest in developing a sequel. Also expressing interest was Christian Whitehead, the developer of the mobile versions of Sonic CD, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Sonic the Hedgehog 2, saying in 2014 that he would be open to remaking Knuckles' Chaotix using the Retro Engine. Notes References External links * [https://web.archive.org/web/20080325234930/http://www.gametap.com/play/gameDetails/120006650 Knuckles' Chaotix on GameTap] (Archived at the Wayback Machine) * [http://info.sonicretro.org/Chaotix Chaotix] on Sonic Retro Category:1995 video games Category:Sega video games Category:Sega 32X games Category:Sega 32X-only games Category:Sonic the Hedgehog video games Category:Video games developed in Japan Category:Video games set in amusement parks Category:Cooperative video games Category:Video game spin-offs